SOC 53-7081 · Transportation and Material Moving Occupations · May 2025

How much do Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors make in Wichita, KS?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Wichita, KS is $48,120. The 10th percentile is $29,760 and the 90th percentile is $59,700. Employment is 120.

Median annual wage

$48,120

10th percentile
$29,760
25th percentile
$39,030
Median
$48,120
75th percentile
$55,770
90th percentile
$59,700
Mean
$46,500

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A dental hygienist treating a patient
A dental hygienist at work. Photograph by baskyes. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Percentile spread

For Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, the published 10th percentile is $29,760 and the 90th percentile is $59,700. The difference is $29,940, which is 62.2% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $39,030 to the 75th at $55,770, covers $16,740.

The mean annual wage is $46,500, which sits below the median of $48,120. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Wichita, KS median is 3.2% lower than the national median of $49,690 for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. In 2024 national prices the local median is $54,100, which is 8.9% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 5.7% higher than the Kansas median of $45,510.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Wichita, KS is 88.946, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $48,120 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors at $54,100 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

5 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. Wichita, KS ranks 3rd of 6 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Tulsa, OK is 112 miles away, with a median of $38,330 and employment of 540. That median is 20.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $42,964, against $54,100 here.
  • Topeka, KS is 125 miles away, with a median of $43,580 and employment of 100. That median is 9.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $49,066, against $54,100 here.
  • Oklahoma City, OK is 153 miles away, with a median of $50,540 and employment of 590. That median is 5% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $55,902, against $54,100 here.

Employment share

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors accounts for 0.04% of wage-and-salary employment in Wichita, KS (120 of 308,570). Nationally the occupation is 0.09% of employment (147,240 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.41 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Wichita, KS · Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors make in Wichita, KS?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Wichita, KS is $48,120. The 10th percentile is $29,760 and the 90th percentile is $59,700. Employment is 120.

How does that compare with the national median for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors?

The local median is 3.2% lower than the national median of $49,690.

What is Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors pay in Wichita, KS after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Wichita, KS is 88.946, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $48,120 is $54,100. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Wichita, KS compare with nearby metros for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors?

Tulsa, OK is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 112 miles away, at $38,330. Wichita, KS ranks 3rd of 6 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.